Is Per Diem Properly Included in Income For Purposes of Calculating Florida Child Support?
As a Tampa family law attorney, I handle a large number of military divorces. These cases present a number of unique issues. One of the issues that often arises is how to account for military allowances and benefits from a family law perspective. Service members frequently do not understand that, for purposes of calculating child support, income is defined much more broadly than taxable income under the Internal Revenue Code. As any military divorce attorney will tell you, clients in the armed forces are often disappointed to learn that, while certain compensation is left off the tax return, those benefits are usually income under the Florida child support guidelines. Not all payments and benefits received, however, constitute income. Many military service members and civilian employees receive an allowance for travel and other expenses. This pay is commonly referred to as a per diem allowance. Per diem is a Latin term, which literally means “per day.” The term most often refers to the
